Monthly Archives: April 2017

What can Europe do for your Space Start-up?

Vera Pinto Gomes, Space Policy Analyst at European Commission

Vera Pinto Gomes, Space Policy Analyst at European Commission

The Disrupt Space 2017 brought the most promising space startups to meet with top investors and executives. This two-day event took place in Berlin and was fueled with business meetings, inspiring keynotes and hands on activities to foster collaboration towards building a sustainable space economy. Our colleague Vera Pinto Gomes* was on the Summit and presented the main highlights on the current and future status of EU space programmes that will benefit start-ups:

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Huawei’s New P10 and P10 Plus smartphones support Galileo

Huawei P10

Huawei P10

Huawei’s new P10 and P10 Plus smartphones support Galileo, providing users with more precise positioning.

Huawei, the world’s third largest smartphone vendor, recently announced that its newest flagship smartphones are Galileo-enabled. This includes the company’s newly-launched P10 and P10 plus models, as well as its Mate 9, Mate 9 pro and Porsche Design Mate 9 smartphones. The Huawei phones are equipped with Broadcom Limited’s Galileo-enabled BCM4774 GNSS chipset. Read more…

Galileo Public Regulated Service ready for action

Charles Villie, PRS Manager at the GSA

Charles Villie, PRS Manager at the GSA

The unique Galileo Public Regulated Service (PRS) offers a dedicated authenticated and encrypted service for governmental authorised users in areas such as public safety and security, critical infrastructures, and defence. The PRS session at the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit on 16 March provided an overview on the current status of PRS implementation in Europe and a glimpse of its potential applications.

“Integrity is a major driver for backup systems for GNSS,” said Dr. Stefan Baumann of IABG and moderator of the PRS session. He noted that the capabilities of PRS brought authorised users a more reliable and robust positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) system. Read more…

Search and Rescue 406Mhz Beacons

The Galileo SAR beaconsOn 6 April, the GNSS world marks Beacon Awareness Day (406 Day), a day intended to remind Search and Rescue 406MHz beacon owners to test their beacons, check their batteries and update their Cospas-Sarsat or National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) registration. Started in 2013 by US beacon manufacturer ACR Electronics, the day is also an opportunity to raise awareness on the benefits and responsibilities of owning such 406 MHz beacons as Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). Perhaps most importantly, 406 Day is a chance to share the stories of those whose lives were ‘saved by the beacon’ and to encourage others to #getabeacon. Read more…

Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) Service

Search And Rescue (SAR) operations involve locating and helping people in distress. Launched as part of the Galileo Initial Services, Galileo is the first GNSS constellation offering global SAR capability. The service will be available at sea, in the mountains, across the desert and in the air inside the Galileo/SAR Service Coverage area, this essential Galileo service helps operators respond to a distress signal faster and more efficiently. Read more…

Galileo Search and Rescue service ready for green light!

Xavier Maufroid of the European Commission moderated the SAR session in Munich

Xavier Maufroid of the European Commission

The Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service is Europe‘s contribution to the international emergency beacon locating system called COSPAS-SARSAT. This essential Galileo service has the potential to dramatically reduce the time to locate and reach people in distress on sea and land. The 2017 Munich Satellite Navigation Summit saw a dedicated session that outlined the potential impact of the full Galileo SAR service.

Session chair Xavier Maufroid of the European Commission welcomed participants to the first ever discussion of Galileo SAR at a Munich Summit by screening a preview of the service’s launch video. The service itself was officially launched on 6 April 2017 – a date chosen to highlight the COSPAS-SARSAT 406 MHz signal. Read more…